Up A Blind Alley
by Sparkle731
Summary: I have several copies of un-filmed scripts from the series. This story is based on one of those scripts. A violent confrontation leaves Starsky blind. Chapter 13 is posted. STORY IS NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**UP A BLIND ALLEY**

**I have several copies of un-filmed scripts from the series. This story is based on one of those scripts. A violent confrontation leaves Starsky blinded. **

**CHAPTER ONE**

Starsky pulled the Torino up in front of a Chinese restaurant named the Ming Lion. Since it was after ten pm, the restaurant was closed but the two detectives knew that the couple that owned the restaurant lived in an apartment on the second floor of the building. For the past few weeks there had been unconfirmed reports of criminal mischief and vandalism in a ten block radius of the restaurant but none of the business owners in the area would talk to the police until the Chan's came forward and agreed to tell the two detectives what they knew.

"Let's hope we get somewhere with these people." Hutch grumbled as the two detectives walked towards the front entrance of the restaurant. They had spoken to Lee Chan on the phone earlier that afternoon and made arrangements to talk to the owners after they closed their business for the evening.

"Like a fortune cookie, maybe?" Starsky said with a crooked grin as he tried the front door and found it unlocked. The two men stepped into the darkened interior of the restaurant. Making their way through the deserted dining room, they headed for the swinging door that led into the kitchen.

They both blinked as they entered the brightly lit kitchen. As their eyes adjusted to the sudden change in lighting, they saw Mei Chan standing at the rear door of the building looking outside. The petite oriental woman was wringing her hands anxiously, deep tension line etched on her face. Hearing them approaching, she turned to look at them, her eyes wide with fear and obviously highly agitated.

"Thank god, you're here!" she said desperately "Stop them…STOP THEM! They're killing him!"

Starsky and Hutch exchanged a glance as they ran past the woman and out the back door onto the loading dock in the alley behind the restaurant. They saw five men working over Lee Chan. The elderly oriental man was lying on the ground, curled up in a fetal position and he appeared to be unconscious.

One of the men was a huge Samoan who stood at least six feet five. The other four men were smaller in stature but they were all wiry and muscular. Even though they knew that they were outnumbered, Starsky and Hutch had to help the elderly business owner.

Starsky immediately charged at the two men on his right leaving Hutch to deal with the other three. One of the men took a swing at Starsky and missed, leaving himself open for a hard left cross that sent him sprawling to the deck. The second man hit Starsky with a sucker punch to the stomach that left the brunet winded but he stayed on his feet. He returned the punch with a hard right, then grabbed the man's arm and pulled him forward, dropping him to the ground with a hip toss.

The big Samoan apparently decided he'd had enough and took off running down the alley. After a quick glance at Hutch to make sure he was holding his own with his two suspects, Starsky jumped down from the loading deck and took off running down the alley after the big man.

Starsky was surprised when the huge Samoan suddenly stopped running and turned around to face him. He reached down and grabbed something out of the garbage and faced Starsky with a broken table leg clutched tightly in his hand. He began swinging it wildly in front of him. He was in full swing as Starsky skidded to a stop in front of him, fumbling under his jacket for his gun. The table leg connected firmly with the side of Starsky's head, stopping the curly haired detective in his tracks. Starsky stumbled backwards and then fell heavily to the ground. The huge man dropped the table leg and immediately ran away.

Back on the loading dock, the two men that Starsky had subdued regained their feet and joined their friends in their attack on Hutch. Two of the men grabbed Hutch's arms, pinning them behind his back, as a third man punched Hutch in the gut and then added a chop to the side of his neck. As Hutch crumbled to his knees, the four men all ran off into the darkness.

Mei Chan timidly stepped out of the restaurant to see what had happened. "Mr. Hutch?" she said anxiously "Lee?"

Still addled by the last two blows, Hutch stumbled to his feet and shook his head to clear it. He managed to stand, still a bit dizzy and disoriented. He knelt down beside Lee Chan, who was unconscious but still alive.

"Call an ambulance…and get the police! Tell them there's an officer down!" he ordered Mei Chan as he jumped down from the loading deck and made his way to his fallen partner. Starsky was lying on his right side, bleeding heavily from a deep laceration in his scalp from his ear to the back of his head. He groaned and tried to move as Hutch knelt down beside him.

"Lie still, Starsky." Hutch told him "You're hurt. Don't move. Ambulance is on the way." He slipped an arm under Starsky's shoulders and pulled the brunet into his lap.

"Hutch…that you?" Starsky slurred as he tried unsuccessfully to focus his eyes on his friend's face. "Helluva a way to break up a good fight…" He tried to smile but it turned into a grimace of pain and a deep groan.

"Take it easy, buddy…" Hutch said in that gentle, soothing voice that he reserved solely for Starsky at times like this. He ran his hand up and down a leather clad arm in a comforting gesture as Starsky slumped heavily against him and closed his eyes.

Hutch sighed in relief when he heard the sound of approaching sirens in the distance. From previous experience he knew that head wounds tended to bleed heavily even if they weren't that serious. But, he also knew that Starsky had taken a hard blow to the head that had left him confused and disoriented. He probably had at least a mild concussion and the laceration was deep enough that it was going to need some stitches.

The ambulance pulled into the alley, followed closely by a black and white cruiser. A few minutes after that Captain Dobey's sedan pulled in behind the cruiser and the burly black man climbed out, hurrying towards Hutch and Starsky.

Two uniformed officers began talking to Mrs. Chan, while two paramedics knelt down beside Hutch and began to examine Starsky.

"How is he?" Hutch asked in a tightly controlled voice as he reluctantly released his hold on Starsky, leaving his care to the two medics.

"Can't tell yet." One of them told Hutch as he carefully applied pressure packs to the injury on Starsky's head. "His head is busted open. He could have a fracture…a concussion…anything. We WON'T know until we get him to the hospital."

Hutch made a frustrated sound in his throat. It was pretty much the answer he had expected but that didn't ease his concern for his best friend. He watched as the attendants loaded Starsky on a stretcher and rolled it towards the open doors on the ambulance. Lee Chan was already loaded on a second stretcher and was waiting for a second ambulance to arrive to transport him to the hospital.

"Who did it, Hutch?" Dobey asked as he stepped up to the blond's side.

"No idea." Hutch said in a distracted voice, his attention focused on the two attendants who were still working on his injured partner in the back of the ambulance as they prepared him for transport to the hospital. "No one I've ever seen before."

"What kind of answer is that?" Dobey growled in an irritated voice. "You saw them, didn't you? What did they look like?"

"Big." Hutch said shortly. He took a step towards the ambulance but the doors swung shut and the vehicle took off before he could reach it.

"You can ride with me to the hospital." Dobey said, touching Hutch's arm gently to focus his attention. He turned to the two patrol officers and snapped, "I'm going to the hospital. I want this entire area cordoned off! Get me something…anything!"

He stomped to his car with Hutch following close behind. Hutch absently rubbed his sore jaw as he climbed into the front seat beside his commanding officer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Across town from the Ming Lion, three men stood in the shadows outside the condominium and rang the security buzzer. There was a soft click as the door unlocked and opened. A slender Caucasian male in his late thirties stood there dressed in a blue silk robe. Even at this late hour, he was immaculately groomed. Sam Kaufman looked at his late night visitors and scowled darkly.

"Why are you here this late?" he demanded coldly as he ushered the three men into his lavishly decorated apartment.

Fuji, the large Samoan, looked at the smaller man fearfully and said,

"Boss, we was at the Chan place like you tole us…and…and Starsky and Hutch busted in on us. We worked 'em over good…well, one of them anyway…"

"You just made a hit?" Kaufman said sarcastically "Wonderful…you have to wake me up to tell me that?" He frowned as the big man's words finally registered. "You hit who?"

Too intimidated to talk, Fuji shut up, so one of the other men, Tamaso, took over.

"We ran into Starsky and Hutch," he explained in a rushed voice. "They came out of no where and surprised us."

"Tell me EXACTLY what in the hell you idiots have done." Kaufman said in a icy calm.

"While we was at the Chan place, Starsky and Hutch showed up. They saw us working over Chan and jumped us. We worked 'em over pretty good."

"And…"

"Fuji took off before we could waste 'em…so we took off. I mean…we didn't know if they had other cops with 'em or not…we didn't wanna stick around to find out." Tamaso said

"Did any of you take long enough to make sure the first job was done?" Kaufman demanded with a hard edge to his voice.

"Chan's out of it." Tamaso reassured him confidently. "I think we made our point. And Starsky looked pretty bad."

"Did Hutch see you?"

"Yeah, boss…but he was pretty punchy. He was too worried about Starsky to come after us." Joey, the third man, spoke up.

"You stupid bastard, he can still pick you out of a lineup. "Kaufman snarled As the three men stood mutely watching him pace the floor, Kaufman tried to decide what to do now. Finally, he smiled thinly and said, "First, we need to find out what happened to them and how much they know. Second, you idiots are going to have to stay out of sight. All of you will stay at the guesthouse until I tell you otherwise. I'll call Julie and tell her to be expecting you. So get out of here!"

The three men scrambled for the door. They didn't need to be told twice. Their boss was not a man you wanted to cross, not if you valued your skin. As they left the apartment, Kaufman called after them, "And watch your asses! Hutchinson is going to be out for blood if you hurt Starsky."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

The emergency room was a scene of controlled chaos. Parents with sick children, a gang member who had been stabbed in a fight, a teenager who had been drinking and fell down a flight of stairs, and a variety of other injuries or illnesses. Alerted to their arrival beforehand, Starsky and Chan were immediately taken to separate cubicles where a doctor was waiting to examine them. Hutch and Captain Dobey had followed Starsky's gurney, standing quietly to one side of the room where they wouldn't be in the way of the medical personnel hovering around the brunet officer.

Starsky lay on the gurney, still clothed, with his eyes partially closed. He was semi-conscious, disoriented and sweating, obviously in the early stages of shock. When Starsky groaned softly as if he were in pain, Dobey noticed Hutch's involuntary flinch.

The doctor was cleaning the scalp wound as he prepared to suture the gash closed.

"Traumatic injury…edema present…no apparent skull fracture…possible concussion." The Doctor was dictating his findings to the nurse who was assisting him. "I want a full set of skull x-rays and blood work…stat."

"There's nothing more we can do for Starsky now, Hutch." Dobey said claiming the big blond's attention. "It's out of our hands now. Getting the men who did this to him isn't, so how about bringing me up to speed?"

"We went by to see the Chans…"Hutch said, his attention remaining focused on the activity around his injured partner. "Mei sent us out back where we found them beating up Lee. We surprised them and then we had the whole pack on us. That's all I know."

"You must have gotten a good look at at least one of them." Dobey probed gently. "Do you remember anything that can help us nail the bastards that did this?"

Hutch was silent for a moment, engrossed in watching Starsky, as he thought about his answer. Finally, he turned his troubled gaze to his Captain and said,

"They were Orientals…five of them. The one that nailed Starsky was huge…big as a bear. Starsk never had a chance…" Hutch's voice cracked with emotion but he quickly composed himself. "It matches the reports we've been getting recently about some trouble in that part of town. But the muscle is new…nobody we've ever dealt with before and so is the game. We can't get anywhere on the case."

"Nobody is willing to talk to you?"

Hutch shook his head as he turned his attention back to his partner. "That's why we were at the Chans. They had some friends who had been hit and they were going to tell us what they'd heard."

"I'll put out an APB. Maybe we'll get lucky…but that's not much to go on." Dobey glanced in Starsky's direction and then laid a comforting hand on Hutch's shoulder. "You can't do anything else for him right now. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

"No, I think I'll stay here until I know he's going to be okay." Hutch said in a determined voice.

Dobey nodded. He wasn't surprised by the answer. Whenever either one of the partners was hurt, the other one stayed by his side. It was just another example of the unique bond that they shared.

"Have it your way. I'll see you in the morning." Dobey said as he prepared to head home to his own family.

"Yeah." Hutch replied absently, barely noticing as Dobey walked away. The doctor had finished suturing the head wound and a pair of interns were getting ready to take Starsky to get X-rays. One of the nurses came over to Hutch and smiled at him warmly. He recognized her from a previous trip to the emergency room but couldn't remember her name.

"They're going to be taking your friend up for X-rays and then doing the blood work. Why don't I show you where the ICU waiting room is? The doctor will come and talk to you as soon as he can."

"Thank you but I already know where it is." Hutch told her with a feeble attempt at a smile. Even in a crisis situation, Hutch could be counted on to be courteous. His parents had insisted on good manners at all times. To them it was a matter of breeding.

"It may be a couple of hours if you want to go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat." The nurse added helpfully.

"Thank you." Hutch said with a dismissive nod. The nurse lingered for a moment before returning to her other duties. With heavy steps, Hutch turned and left the emergency room. He walked down the hallway and took the elevator to the fourth floor where the ICU was located. He detoured briefly to the men's room where he paused at the sink and stared down at his hands which still held traces of Starsky's blood. He turned on the water and put his hands under the flow, scrubbing fiercely at the blood that had seeped into the crevices of his skin. He watched as the blood turned the water red and then disappeared down the drain.

Grabbing some paper towels, he wiped his hands, tossing the towels in the trash on his way out the door. He walked to the end of the hallway and entered the waiting room, slumping down on the generic plastic sofa sitting along one wall. Exhausted from the events of the day, his eyes drifted shut as he fell into a restless slumber.

When the doctor entered the room sometime later, Hutch startled awake immediately and bounded to his feet. The doctor held a chart in one hand and looked haggard, tired and overworked.

"You're here with Mr. Starsky, correct?" the doctor asked politely "I'm Doctor Neal."

"How is he?" Hutch asked anxiously.

"He has a severe concussion. He'll have a hell of a headache for a few days. What concerns me at the moment is that tests have shown that he has a pituitary adenoma pressing against the optic chiasm."

"Come on, Doc…" Hutch said in an exasperated voice barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "English, please."

"He has a tumor lodged behind the optic nerve and the pressure is closing it off. I'm afraid that your friend is going to be temporarily blind. There's no way we can reach it without surgery."

"Blind?" Hutch repeated in a stunned voice. "There has to be some mistake…something you can do…"

"I wish there was a mistake but I doubled checked the tests personally. I've sedated him and he'll sleep through the night. I'll tell him in the morning."

"How is he otherwise?"

"Fairly good. He's lucky that he was in such good physical condition. It saved his life. He'll have to have his eyes bandaged for now and the stitches should come out in about ten days." He smiled encouragingly. "He'll be fine…just as soon as we can get a surgeon to operate."

Hutch nodded numbly, already going over a mental list of the calls he needed to make on Starsky's behalf. As the doctor walked away to tend to his other patients, Hutch slowly walked down the hallway to the payphone. He dug a dime out of his pocket and dropped it in the slot, dialing Captain Dobey's home phone number. He was too distracted by his own thoughts to notice the solitary figure lurking in the shadows.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Across town from the hospital, Sam Kaufman picked up the ringing phone and barked into the receiver,

"Hello…yeah…" He paused, listening with interest to the information his caller had for him. "Really? You're sure?" A smirk crossed his face. "Fine…you know what to do."

He hung up with a contented smile and turned to face his hired muscle. "That was Julie. Starsky's at the hospital. He's going to live." He scowled darkly at his men. "No thanks to you idiots!"

"Boss," said Fuji, the big Samoni who had attacked Starsky. "I was scared. I didn't wanna stay there with the other cop there…"

"Did it ever occur to any of you to take them both off while you had the fucking chance?" Kaufman snarled. "A perfect setup and you blew it! We could have been rid of both of them for good! Do you have any idea what that would have meant?" He smiled smugly "However, there is a positive side to all of this. Julie says that Starsky is blind…as a direct result of injuries sustained at the hands of UNKNOWN assailants."

"Hey, Boss, that's great!" Joey said with a guffaw. "He can't finger someone he can't see."

"That still leaves Hutchinson, doesn't it?" Kaufman reminded his men in a menacing voice that silenced them immediately. "He's going to be out there looking for someone to pay for what happened to Starsky." He glared at his men "Get out on the streets…put out some false leads…and let's see if we can trip him up and throw him off your scent."

As the men started to leave the room, he snapped, "Fuji, you stay here! You're too damned conspicuous…you'll stand out like a sore thumb out there. Might as well hang a damned sign around your neck!"

Fuji bowed his head and meekly sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs. The other men scurried from the room to carry out his orders. None of them wanted to provoke their employer and none of them wanted to encounter an enraged Hutch.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Hutch paused outside of Starsky's hospital room, hesitating momentarily. He had gone home just long enough to change clothes and take a shower. A bruise on his cheek had darkened in the intervening hours since the fight on the loading dock, mute evidence of the violence of the attack against the two police officers. The door to Starsky's room opened abruptly, startling Hutch. A nurse came out, smiling warmly at Hutch and motioning him inside.

Starsky was propped up in the bed, his head and eyes heavily bandaged. He tilted his head to one side, listening intently to the approaching footsteps. Dr. Neal was standing beside the bed holding a chart in his hands. He glanced at Hutch as he walked to Starsky's side. Hutch silently questioned Neal with his eyes, needing to know if he had told Starsky yet about his eyes. The doctor shook his head no. Hutch tried to compose his features. Even though he knew Starsky could not see his face, he would still know something was wrong as soon as he heard Hutch's voice.

"Hey, Starsk…you awake?" Hutch said struggling to keep his voice light and cheerful.

A familiar crooked smile lit up Starsky's face as his tense posture slowly relaxed. "Yeah, Blondie. Wide awake. It's about time you got here. Been wondering where you were."

"I went home to clean up a little." Hutch told him "Man, you scared the hell out of me last night. I thought for sure they had busted that hard head of yours wide open."

"Yeah, me too." Starsky said, the smile fading from his face. "Any idea who?"

"We're still trying to sort that out. Just one of those things…wrong place, wrong time. Lee should be released in a day or two. I'll see what I can get out of him then." Hutch said. This was not the time or the place to discuss the case, at least not with the doctor in the room.

"Well, hopefully I'll be out of here by then too and we can figure out who those goons were." Starsky said confidently as he relaxed back against the pillows behind his back.

"Uh…yeah…sure, buddy…" Hutch said in an uncertain voice as he glanced at the doctor for assistance.

"Mr. Starsky, I'm afraid it's not simple…" Doctor Neal cut in, bracing himself to deliver the bad news about Starsky's condition to the brunet.

"Sure it is." Starsky said "All you gotta do is take off these bandage so I can see. You have no idea how frustrating it is not to know who's coming in the room and I bet I'm missing out on all the pretty nurses too."

"Not really." Hutch told him "I'm seen a couple of them and you're not missing a thing."

"I bet," Starsky said with a smirk. Starsky turned his head towards the doctor even though he couldn't see him. "When he says stuff like that he's just trying to keep the best ones for himself…"

"Mr. Starsky, please listen to me." Doctor Neal cut in, annoyed at the banter between the two friends. "You have a problem."

"So what else is new?" Starsky said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Look, Doc…this ain't the first time I've been hit in the head…"

"Starsky, shut up and listen to what the man has to say." Hutch said cutting off his friend before he could continue. He spoke a bit more sharply than he intended to and Starsky's suddenly rigid posture confirmed that the brunet had noticed.

"During the examination, we found a tumor pressing against the optic nerve." Doctor Neal told him "It's obviously been there for a while…don't you ever see a doctor?" Starsky shrugged but remained silent, sensing that something was up. Doctor Neal continued, "Anyway, this attack has brought it to our attention. The tumor should still be treatable and with surgery can probably be safely removed. If we hadn't discovered it when we did, it would have completely atrophied the optic nerve causing permanent blindness. As things stand now, hopefully this is only a temporary condition."

"Whoa…wait a minute!" Starsky said sharply "Are you trying to tell me that I'm blind?"

"I'm saying that you're blind until we can schedule surgery to remove the tumor." Doctor Neal clarified. "We'll be able to access the situation further once we get in there…it may already be too late."

A heavy silence filled the room for several minutes. Starsky's expression remained fixed but Hutch knew the news had hit the brunet hard.

"And that's it?" Starsky demanded in a deceptively calm voice. "Maybe I'm dense or something…but why AM I blind? If you discovered this last night then why the hell didn't you fix it then?"

Hutch suddenly turned to glare at the doctor as Starsky stated a fact that Hutch had been too distraught the night before to consider. The doctor looked uneasy and sighed heavily.

"That's the problem." He admitted ruefully "I'm sure you've heard about the medical slowdown the city has been experiencing recently."

"Yeah…so?" Starsky said tonelessly.

"You require a specialist to do the operation….and they're all out on strike." The doctor explained.

"They're WHAT?" Hutch bellowed in an outraged voice that made Starsky smile in spite the seriousness of his current situation.

"You heard me." Doctor Neal said calmly, unfazed by Hutch's show of temper. "We'll try to find a surgeon to do the operation but it may take some time. And until then, Mr. Starsky, for all intents and purposes you are blind."

"Any idea how long I'll have to wait?" Starsky asked in a defeated tone that alarmed Hutch.

"Probably at least of couple of weeks, maybe more. In the meantime, we'll put you through rehab so you can get along until we're able to schedule the surgery." He turned to leave the two men alone. He paused at the doorway and looked back into the room. "For what's it's worth, I really am sorry. Of course, we will do everything we can in the meantime to assist you…"

"Of course." Hutch said bitterly not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

As the door closed behind the doctor, Hutch began stomping around the room. He was furious and didn't try to hide it. "I don't believe this! I don't fucking believe this place!" He ranted as he vented his rage and frustration.

"Well, it has been in the news lately." Starsky said, his voice still deceptively calm "You know only life or death emergency cases are being treated. You hear about it, but it doesn't sink in…you know? You can't relate to what it really means…"

"And this isn't an emergency?" Hutch said bitterly.

"I guess not." Starsky said, his mouth tightening into a hard thin line. "Rules of the game. You win some, you lose some." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Hey, partner…would you mind leaving me alone for a little while?"

"Uh…yeah, sure." Hutch said sheepishly, suddenly realizing that as frustrated as he felt Starsky had to feel even worse. "Maybe I'll go down to the cafeteria and grab a bite to eat. Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks. I'll be okay."

Hutch nodded, easily reading the double meaning behind Starsky's words. With a heavy heart, he let himself out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Behind the wooden barrier, he heard the sound of something breaking against the wall.

He glanced down the hall and saw Captain Dobey and Huggy Bear walking towards him. "Cap…Hug." He said, acknowledging his two friends as they approached.

"He knows?" Dobey said, assuming that Starsky had been told about his medical condition from the expression on Hutch's face. "How'd he take it?"

"He just sat there…didn't say much at all. Then he asked me to leave…said he wanted to be alone for a while." Hutch said. His voice rose with renewed anger "I just can't believe this place. There's some kind of slowdown going on and they can't even do anything for Starsky until they find a _willing_ doctor."

"I heard something about that." Dobey said with a nod. "Some sort of contract dispute or something between some of the doctors and the hospital…"

"So what's all that mean for Starsky?" Huggy asked with a puzzled frown.

"It means that he's blind and he's going to stay blind until they find a surgeon who is willing to operate on him…and by then it might be too late." Hutch said sharply. His hands clenched into fists at his side.

"How long do they think it's going to take?" Dobey asked, his concern for both of his men evident in his voice.

"At least two weeks, maybe longer." Hutch told him flatly.

"Let's go to the cafeteria and get some coffee. Maybe Starsky will feel up having to visitors when we get back." Dobey suggested.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Sam Kaufman sat behind his desk with a stack of files scattered in front of him. Glass walls looked out over the outer office where his employees were busy with their own tasks. When the phone rang, he picked it up and barked into the receiver,

"Yeah?" He listened for a moment and then smiled smugly. "Yeah? That's great. That should give us plenty of time to wrap things up. Just keep your eye on him." He listened to his caller's reply and then laughed. "That's priceless. You KEEP YOUR eye on him." His voice turned serious. "Keep me informed of his progress. And keep your ears open around the other one too…yeah, the blond."

He hung up and chuckled himself. "That's rich…keep YOUR EYE on him." He pulled a map of the downtown area from beneath the stack of files and circled an area in red.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Back at the hospital, Hutch was visiting with Mr. Chan. The elderly oriental had regained consciousness the night before and was expected to be released the following day. Lee was sitting up in bed, propped up with several pillows behind his back. His head was heavily bandaged and both of his eyes were black and blue.

"Officer Hutchinson, I am most grateful for you and Officer Starsky's assistance." Lee said sincerely. "I am truly sorry that your partner was injured because of me."

"Then help us." Hutch broke in. "Tell us who or why you were beaten up. What's going on? What can we do to stop it?" He was frustrated with this case and it showed in the tone of his voice.

"Please do not become so distressed, Officer Hutchinson. I will resolve the problem myself." Chan said in a stubborn yet determined voice.

"This was done in public. That makes it OUR problem." Hutch pointed out. "Those men attacked me and my partner when we tried to help you."

"I am not interested in your help." Mr., Chan said firmly.

"Damn it!" Hutch snapped, his patience worn thin. "Starsky is blind because of what happened…or doesn't that matter to you?"

Chan flinched at the news. It was obvious that he had not been aware of Starsky's condition. "I am truly sorry that happened because of me…but as I said, I will resolve this problem by myself." The tone of his voice made it clear that he wasn't about to change his mind.

"Well, don't count on us to bail you out the next time." Hutch said angrily. He turned on his heel and stormed out of the room before he said something he would regret later. As he stomped down the hallway towards Starsky's room, he saw Starsky and his rehab specialist, Julie Lavin, coming towards him from the opposite direction. He paused, leaning against the wall, as he watched their progress.

Julie had started working with Starsky that morning, helping him learn to adjust to his temporary blindness. The brunet was still overly calm, keeping a rigid control over his emotions even with Hutch.

Julie's voice drifted down the hall as she walked along beside Starsky. Starsky was dressed in pajamas and a robe, his eyes still covered with bandages. He was holding onto Julie's arm, moving slowly but steadily down the hall.

"You're doing fine, Mr. Starsky." Julie said encouragingly. "You're starting to use the sounds and smells around you to orient yourself to your surroundings."

"Call me Dave, okay?" Starsky interrupted her. As he spoke, his concentration wavered and he stubbed his knee against a food cart parked by the wall. "Damn it!" he muttered as he instinctively reached for his aching knee. "What the hell is this thing doing here?"

Hutch watched, curbing his own instinct to rush to his partner's side to make sure he was okay. Julie merely smiled and said,

"Take it easy. It's just the food cart. You weren't concentrating or you would have smelled it." She said.

"Lady, all I want to do is get out of this place and go home." Starsky growled, still angry at his inability to seen the hidden objects in his path. "I'm fed up with being pinched, poked and stuck!" his voice lowered slightly "I just want to go home and be left alone."

"And how do you expect to cope if you don't learn the basics of getting along in this condition?" Julie asked patiently. Part of her job was helping her patients learn to deal with the reality of their situation and to do that she had to keep a certain emotional distance from her charges. They needed her help not her pity or her sympathy.

"This condition?" Starsky snapped "God, you people can't even say the word! BLIND! To hell with coping! What am I supposed to do out there? Get a white cane and stand on the corner selling pencils? I sure as hell can't be a cop!"

"Is that the best opinion you have of yourself?" Julie asked, as she continued leading him towards his room. She kept her voice calm refusing to be baited by his anger and frustration.

"I hear something on wheels coming towards us…" Starsky said, ignoring her comment but calming down. "Gurney?"

"Medicine cart." Julie corrected him.

Hutch smiled as he stepped forward to join them. Starsky immediately raised his head and smiled. "Hutch?" he said, sensing his partner's presence from the familiar scent of his aftershave.

"Hey, buddy." Hutch said warmly reaching out to take his partner's arm securely.

"Well, it looks like you're in good hands." Julie said as she dropped her hand from his arm. "I'll see you later." She smiled warmly at Hutch as she walked away to tend to her other duties.

"How's it going, buddy?" Hutch asked, as he carefully guided Starsky into his room and over to the bed. Starsky shifted position so he could sit down on the edge of the bed and hung his head bracing his hands against the edge of the mattress.

"Okay, I guess." He said in a dejected voice. He swallowed hard and then admitted in a small voice, "I'm scared, Hutch…."

"I know…" Hutch said "But we'll get through this…together. I promise."

"What if they find a surgeon to operate and it's too late? What if this is permanent?" Starsky asked in a broken voice as he partially let down the wall he had been putting up between himself and Hutch. "What am I gonna do then?"

"Don't go giving up…not yet!" Hutch said soothingly as he reached out to gather his partner close. "I know you're scared…but I'm here. I'll always be here no matter what."

"I know." Starsky said his voice sounding muffled from where his face pressed against Hutch's shoulder. "I'm counting on that." Composing himself, Starsky pulled back and straightened up reaching up with one hand to touch Hutch's face for a moment using the familiar contact with his partner to ground himself. "Anything new on the case?"

"No. I talked to Chan but he refuses to cooperate. He said that he'll take care of it himself." Hutch said in a discouraged voice.

"Somebody has to know something."

"Yeah, I know. I figure I'll go talk to some of the other shop owners in the area…see if I can turn up anything."

"So why don't you get out of here and go do some police work?" Starsky said lightly. "I'm just gonna catch up on my beauty sleep." He smiled faintly "Maybe you can bring me back a couple of burritos and a milkshake later."

"You got a deal." Hutch said, smiling back. He knew that Starsky was dismissing him so he could spend some time alone, processing his feelings and getting a handle on the fear that was dominating his life at the moment. Hutch knew that it had taken a lot of trust for Starsky to admit his fear of never being able to see again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Across town in a modern high rise building, Randy Miller, a real estate broker and architect, was examining maps and plans that were spread out over the top of his desk. He was a heavyset, ulcer prone individual with hooded eyes and heavy jowls. A map on the wall behind him was covered with colored push pins and tiny flags. He glanced up as the door to his office opened and Sam Kaufman walked in.

"It's about time you got here. What's been keeping you?" Miller demanded in an irritated voice.

"Family problems." Kaufman told him offhandedly

"So? Anything new to report?"

"We're not where we need to be…people aren't buying the deal." Sam said as he sank down in the chair facing the desk with an air of insolence.

"Well, nobody ever said it was going to be easy. That's your job! Make them sell!"

"We've been having trouble with a couple of people who don't want to sell. Now, everyone else is waiting to see what happens with them before they decide what they're going to do."

"You're the expert in persuasion. I don't care how you do it but get me that property!" Miller snapped "Level it if you have to. I don't care! And don't come back here until you have some good news to tell me! Understand?"

"Undestood." Kaufman said sarcastically, unfazed by the other man's attempts at intimidation. He slowly rose to his feet, towering over the other man for a moment before turning and leaving the office.

As Kaufman left, Miller picked up the phone and punched in his secretary's extension. He didn't particularly like Kaufman but he was paying him a lot of money to do this job for him so until the deal was closed, he would have to tolerate the man. "Get me the land commissioner's office." He backed into the phone.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Hutch sat on the low divan contemplating his surroundings. Huggy Bear had called earlier and asked Hutch to meet him at the dingy middle-eastern night club on a seldom used side street in west LA. The Arabian décor inside the club was haphazard at best with hanging wind chimes and tapestries on the walls.

Huggy was sitting to Hutch's left, stuffing a pita sandwich into his mouth.

"It don't make no sense…" Huggy said in a garbled voice as he chewed his food enthusiastically.

Soft music and a jingling sound caught Hutch's attention. One of the belly dancers at the club was on the tiny dance floor beside them practicing her act for the evening show. She was young and pretty with long dark hair that hung to her waist. She dipped and glided to the music waving a veil in front of her. She smiled seductively when she noticed Hutch's interest.

"Ain't she something else?" Huggy asked with a grin. "I thought I'd become a 'conno-sewer' of this here A-rab jazz. That's Mira." He told Hutch with pride. "I'm her new personal manager."

"Aw…come on, Hug. Now I've heard everything…" Hutch teased his friend. Huggy was an astute businessman who was always looking for a way to make a fast buck. More often than not, his get fast schemes fell flat but that didn't stop Huggy from trying. s

"Naw, for real, Hutch…" Huggy said in an offended tone. He gestured at the girl. "Hey, Mira…come here and show my man Hutch here your stuff."

Mira smiled as she shimmied over to the two men and began playing up to Hutch. She did a few sexy undulations and then glided away. She picked up a sword that was leaning against the wall and danced around while waving the sword in intricate patterns.

"Hey, that's great. She's really good." Hutch said with renewed interest.

"I told you so." Huggy said smugly. They watched the woman's dance for a few more beats before Hutch broke the silence.

"So, tell me, Hug…what's going on down here? With all the houses boarded up, businesses closing…why is everyone leaving? Nobody will tell me anything. They see me and they clam up."

"Word on the street is that unless they wanna end up like Starsky…they don't talk to you. Period." Huggy said solemnly.

"Like Starsky? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Something's going down. But what? Nobody knows." Huggy said. He lowered his voice so only Hutch could hear him. "I do know a couple of folks that got bent up a little bit but never reported it….seems they like breathing."

"That sure says a lot about us." Hutch grumbled as he shoved himself to his feet. "If you hear anything, Hug…"

"You'll be the first to know." Huggy told him

Hutch cast one last lingering glance at the pretty belly dancer before leaving the bar to head back to the hospital.

****

In the alley behind the Ming Lion, Mr. Chan was throwing some trash bags into the dumpster. As he turned to go back into the restaurant he came face to face with two of Kaufman's men, Joey and Rich.

"Well, Mr. Chan," Joey said smoothly "Looking good. You must have had a nice little vacation."

"The County Hospital is hardly a resort." Mr. Chan said with a hint of anger in his voice. "What do you want?"

"It seems like we have some unfinished business to take care of." Joey said taking a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket. "Now, Mr. K really wants to be fair but you have to sign this deed."

"Go to hell. After your last attempt to persuade me…do you really think I'm going to sign anything?" Mr. Chan spat out.

"You're not too smart, old man." Rich said in a threatening tone "We got a lotta ways to make you see things our way."

"More threats? I'm not afraid of you. Now leave before I call the police."

"That wouldn't be a good idea." Joey said grimly as he slipped the paper back into his jacket. "We'll be back but I don't think you'll like it."

Chan watched them as they walked away with a determined look on his face. He picked up the trash can and went back into the restaurant.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Back at the hospital, Starsky and Julie were in an empty room with parallel bars along the walls. Starsky was standing in the middle of the room with Julie standing off to his left. There was a small table in one corner of the room.

"Okay," Julie said patiently "Where am I now?"

"Umm…seven o'clock." Starsky said as he concentrated on the sound of her voice. "About three feet away."

Julie quietly moved to another spot in the room. "That's good. Where am I now?"

Starsky listened and turned slightly. "I'm not sure…two o'clock? Nine feet?"

"Two o'clock. Five feet." Julie gently corrected him. "Overall, I'd say you're doing very well." She walked over to the table and picked up a white cane that was lying on top of it. "This is the Hoover prescription cane." She said as she walked towards Starsky. "It's your last step towards becoming independent."

"Sure it is." Starsky said sarcastically refusing to take the cane when she tried to hand it to him.

Julie ignored him as she explained how to use the cane. "You hold it in your left hand and tap…left, right, left…back and forth. Some patients prefer to glide it, not liking the tapping stigma."

"Gee, I can't imagine why."

"Mr. Starsky, I've put up with this attitude of yours long enough." Julie said in an irritated voice as she sat the cane aside. "Like it or not, your life will go on."

"No, let me tell you something, lady," Starsky interrupted her "I'm a cop. I like being a cop. And I like working with my partner. It all fits. That's where I belong. Now, maybe I've lost it all. The doc says this may just be temporary…that with this magic operation I may be able to see again. But it might not too…" He paused to calm himself before continuing. "What use am I going to be as a cop if I can't see? I can't work the streets…I wouldn't make it a week behind a desk…so where the hell does that leave me?"

"Dave, you're going to have to learn to use the senses you have left." Julie said patiently unfazed by his outburst. "Okay, so maybe you won't be able to play cops and robbers anymore…there are other things you can do and still be productive."

"Well, what do you know?" Starsky said, the sarcasm creeping back into his voice. "The Dragon lady remembers that I have a name."

"Of course I do. This is MY job. I take people, hurt people, push people. I push, shove and fight to get them to cope with being blind….temporarily or permanently." Her voice softened "Do you think its easy for me being nasty to you over and over? It's not. But you have to have something to hate more than being blind. So, I make you hate me. To spite me…to show me…my patients learn what they need to know. You may leave here hating me but you will LEAVE."

"You want a medal?" Starsky asked reluctant to admit how much he did resent her for taunting him constantly.

"Oh, what's the use?" Julie said in an exasperated tone. "Dave, what's wrong with you? I'm not the enemy."

"Let's just say that I don't like the spot I'm in…and I can't do a damn thing about it."

"Is that all?" Julie asked as she silently began to move around the room, verbally attacking him from various angles. "Or are you just plain scared?"

"Damn right I'm scared." Starsky growled as he tried to track her voice as she moved around the room.

"Then admit it but don't keep it bottled up inside!"

Starsky was off balance as he kept turning and twisting trying to answer her voice in the last direction he heard it in.

"Damn it! Stand still!" he snapped "Where are you?"

Julie began moving even faster, never answering him from the same direction twice in a row. "Here…and here…and here…" she deliberately taunted him "Come on, Starsky, you're the hot shot. This should be easy for you!"

Starsky felt his defenses beginning to crumble as his disorientation grew. "For God's sake, quit moving! I can't find you!" He reached out blindly, flailing around with outstretched arms for anything to orient himself with. "What do you want me to do?" he cried in a frustrated voice. "Okay…I can't go back to work! I can't drive my car! I can't see Hutch's face. I'm scared they're gonna leave me! Damn it, Levin, where are you?"

Julie quietly stepped up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. He turned to her with a strangled sob catching in his throat and felt her arms reach out to hold him close as he struggled to get his frantic breathing under control.

"Dave, you have the best friends any man could ever ask for." Julie told him gently. "Do you see now why it's so important for you to learn to function on your own? What if that had been an intersection downtown? How long do you think you'd last if you didn't know how to take care of yourself?"

Starsky wearily leaned his head against her shoulder, exhausted both physically and emotionally. "Yeah, I think I see what you mean." He admitted in a defeated voice.

"I think we've both had enough therapy for today. How about I take you back to your room?" Julie suggested

"Okay." Starsky said as he straightened up and reached down to grasp her hand. He smiled thinly "You're something else, lady."

"So, I've been told." Julie said. She had tears in her eyes but still managed a laugh as she guided Starsky to the door. She took him back to his room where they found Hutch waiting patiently. Turning him over to the loving care of his partner, she excused herself and left the room.

She went down to the payphones on the first floor of the hospital and took some change from her pocket. Dropping the coins in the slot, she dialed a number and waited patiently until the phone was answered.

"It's me, Julie." She said, keeping her voice low so nobody would overhear her side of the conversation. "Listen, I've done my part. Now I want out. He's blind. He doesn't know anything. You're safe."

Sam Kaufman laughed "You've done real good, doll face. But, you're going to have to hang in there just a little bit longer. Things are starting to get a little hot."

"I've had enough! Learning how to get around blind will keep him busy. He's no threat to you."

"What's the matter?" Kaufman sneered "Developing a soft spot for the piggy?"

"No, he has enough to cope with. I just want out. I've had it with this whole charade."

"You'll get out when I say so, sweetheart. Not a minute sooner. I own you, darling…for as long as I want. Just remember…they're still looking for you back in Texas."

"Alright, alright." Julie said in a defeated voice "You made your point. I'll do it your way."

"I thought you would," Kaufman said as he hung up the phone.

Julie sighed heavily as she hung up the receiver. She cursed the day she had ever met Sam Kaufman. She had been a fool to ever think that he cared about her. She had thought that she could trust him when she told him about what had happened back in Texas but instead he had used the information to blackmail her into doing what he wanted. She was in too deep and didn't know how to get out.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Starsky, Hutch, Huggy and Julie were all standing in Starsky's hospital room. Starsky was dressed in his regular clothing waiting patiently. Hutch held a small overnight bag and the white cane, while Huggy was buried behind a large potted plant. Julie was sorting through some papers in her hand. Nobody was talking and the silence was starting to annoy Starsky.

"Well, are we all gonna stand here and gab all day?" he quipped. Everyone started talking at once creating nothing but an unintelligible babble. "Sheesh,…I didn't mean to start a riot." Starsky said. He directed his next comment towards his partner. "Do we have everything? I don't remember having this much stuff when I came in here."

Hutch stole a wink at Julie. "Must be nice to be loved."

Julie smiled fainted and ignored his comment.

Feeling good about going home, Starsky decided to show off a little and started towards the door. Hutch saw that Starsky was going to miss it and started to step forward to help him, stopping only when Julie shook her head no.

Starsky missed the door by about six inches and walked into the wall. He looked stunned and Hutch looked at him with a hurt expression in his eyes. He WANTED to help his partner but he didn't know how. Julie looked resigned while Huggy stared at his feet intently.

Starsky reached out slowly and located the doorjamb. "One point for the wall." He said in a dejected tone. "Guess I better stop goofing off and use the cane, huh?"

"Here ya go, buddy." Hutch said in a gentle voice as he stepped forward and handed Starsky the cane.

"Thanks, pal." He said with a brave attempt at levity. "Exit stage right." With a modified Jackie Gleason sidestep; he tapped his way out of the room.

The four of them took the elevator down to the lobby and exited the front entrance to the hospital. Once he was outside, Starsky became more hesitant. This was a new environment that he hadn't tried to navigate in yet. The Torino was parked directly in front of them. Julie moved ahead of the others and opened the door. Hutch put the overnight bag in the back and took the discharge instructions from Julie. He reached for the plant relieving Huggy of his burden. Once his hands were free, Huggy moved to Starsky's side and gently took him by the elbow to guide him to the car.

"Watch it," Huggy warned his friend "There's a curb with about a five inch drop. It's right in front of you."

"Thanks, Hug." Starsky said acknowledging Huggy's warning. He took a tentative step forward and reached out for the doorframe, caressing the car gently. "Ah…my baby. You been treating her good, Hutch?"

"Sure. Just like it was my own." Hutch replied flippantly.

Starsky grimaced at that comment and took a carefully lowered himself into the front seat. He sighed in relief as he pulled the door closed. He was on familiar territory now.

Julie leaned down, resting against the window frame, and reached out for Starsky's hand.

"Hey, take good care of yourself. Okay, Dave?" she said softly

"Count on it, pretty lady," Starsky said as he caressed her hand with his thumb. "Don't forget you're supposed to come by and…uh…teach me how to cook while I'm like this."

"It's a date." Julie answered with a chuckle and a twinkle in her eye. "How about in a day or two?"

"So long?" Starsky said with a long face. "I'll starve by then."

"I doubt that." Julie said with a laugh. "I'm sure Hutch will take good care of you."

Hutch smiled as he slid underneath the wheel and inserted the key in the ignition. In his nervousness, he stomped on the gas pedal and flooded it. With an embarrassed flush, he tried again, grinding the accelerator and ignition together.

"Hey, whatcha doing?" Starsky yelped in alarm. "Stop it! This is a finely turned machine…it's sensitive. What did you do?"

Hutch scowled as he ground the ignition again.

"I SAID STOP IT!" Starsky said "What have you got in the tank? Soda pop?"

Angry, Hutch jumped out of the car and slammed the door. "This damn car of yours!" He said in a pissed voice.

"What can I say?" Starsky said with a crooked smile. "She loves me not you,"

Regaining his composure, Hutch took several deep breathes and exhaled slowly and then slid back into the car and tried it again, a bit easier this time. Finally, the engine roared to life and he pulled away.

A heavy silence filled the interior of the car. Starsky tried to enjoy the ride but it was disorienting not to be able to see the familiar landmarks outside his window. His face registered his frustration as Hutch braked too hard and accelerated too fast, his nervousness showing in his driving.

Desperate to break the silence in the car, Starsky turned his head in Hutch's general direction and said, "So, what have you turned up so far, partner?"

"A lot of resistance from everyone…nobody's talking. Something is going on but damned if I know what it is."

"No one's helping?"

"No, nothing," Hutch said "Hey, what do you want to eat when we get home? You've got to be sick of that hospital food."

"Yeah, it does start tasting like soggy seaweed after awhile." Starsky said with a grin. "Hey, do you mind if I crash at your place tonight?"

"Sure, you know you don't have to ask." Hutch said "You could probably use some rest anyway."

"Aw, come on, Hutch. I'm so rested now I feel flaky, I need to figure out what I'm going to do with my days."

"Learn your environment just like you were told." Hutch said quietly.

"Yeah…" Starsky said flatly. He felt the fear of the unknown future ahead trying to break through the wall he had created around it in his mind. He was determined to beat this thing and not let it get the best of him. And he silently vowed not to let anyone, especially Hutch, know just how terrified he was.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Hutch puttered around in his kitchen fixing dinner. He wasn't surprised when the smell of food drew Starsky out of the bedroom like a moth to a flame. Starsky's stomach could always be counted on to react normally no matter what the circumstances.

"Hey, Starsk," Hutch said brightly "I thought I'd fix our favorite…linguini."

Starsky tilted his head and sniffed at the air his nose wrinkling obviously whatever he smelled it WASN"T his favorite.

"You sure you didn't just dump the kitchen trash in the skillet? That smells awful!" Starsky declared firmly.

Hutch was momentarily hurt by Starsky's comment, then he smiled widely and said,

"Well, smell isn't everything…wait until you taste it. Come here."

Starsky carefully made his way towards the kitchen. He stumbled over something on the floor and Hutch immediately stepped forward to help him.

"You Okay?" Hutch asked in a worried voice forcing himself to stop from reaching out to his friend.

"I'm fine. Just still getting my reference points." Starsky told him with a distracted wave of his hand. A heavy silence filled the air for a moment. "Come on, Hutch…it's gonna be okay." He said "There's gonna be a lot of things like this for a while. You know that."

Hutch sighed in resignation and turned to dish up the pasta, ladling a generous spoonful of sauce over the top of the noodles.

"Here you go," he said "Fresh from the oven."

Starsky cautiously moved towards the sound of Hutch's voice.

"Y'know, it's amazing how much stuff you never notice everyday, things you take for granted when you can see. Your kitchen is a perfect example of…" Starsky said. While talking he made his way over to Hutch. Hutch took one hand and put it on the plate. Starsky reached out with his other hand to steady it, misjudged, and accidentally dropped it.

Pasta went all over the floor and covered Starsky liberally from head to foot. Both men looked startled for a moment. Hutch tried for lightness.

"Hey, you could have just said you didn't want any. I would have understood…really."

"Hutch," Starsky said in a defeated, broken tone. "Dammit! This isn't going to work! I managed at the hospital…just barely…but here I'm…"

"Covered with spaghetti…" Hutch cut in before Starsky could finish. "Wish I had a camera." He grabbed a dishtowel and began wiping the mess off Starsky and his clothing. "Come on, Starsk," He said in a soothing voice "It's not supposed to be easy. Tell you what…why don't you go sit down at the sofa and I'll fix you a tray. One step at a time. Okay?"

"Okay. Whatever you say…" Starsky said in resignation. He allowed Hutch to take his elbow to guide him over to the sofa.

"I'll turn on the TV." Hutch said. He crossed to the portable television sitting on the stand facing the sofa and turned it on. Starsky slumped back against the cushions only half listening to the drone of the news broadcast in the background. Suddenly, he straightened up listening with interest.

On the television screen, a group of men were gathered around a shovel decorated with ribbons. The announcer's voice said,

"Today ground was broken for the multi-million dollar medical center to be built downtown."

"You want wine with this?" Hutch's voice drifted in from the kitchen as he busied himself fixing Starsky another plate.

"Hutch, come here." Starsky said "This is something else. I've been listening to this in the hospital. They're building a new medical center and they can't even staff the one they have!"

Hutch carried a TV tray over to the sofa and sat it up in front of Starsky. Suddenly a scene on the screen caught Hutch's attention. In the background Hutch saw two men. He recognized them immediately as two of the men who had attacked him and Starsky at the loading dock behind the Chan's restaurant.

Hutch started pummeling Starsky's arm excitedly. "That's it! Starsk, that's it!"

"Hey, lay off…" Starsky said in a startled voice, batting at Hutch's hand. "I need that arm. That's what? Dinner? If you say so…" He said in a droll tone.

"No, no, no…" Hutch said barely able to contain his excitement. "The two men in the crowd behind the dignitaries…didn't you see…" Hutch stopped in mid-sentence as he realized what he had just said. He flushed with shame. For a second he had forgotten about Starsky's current condition.

"Can't say that I did." Starsky said dryly "Tell me."

"Those were two of the goons that stomped us lurking in the background." Hutch told him.

"You sure?" Starsky asked with renewed interest.

"I'm sure."

"That's great. Now what?"

"The first thing we need to do is find out the names of all the people who were there. The television station should be able to help us out with that." Hutch said, pacing the room and he thought aloud. "Go from there. You gonna be okay here by yourself for a little bit?"

"Sure thing," Starsky said with a grin "Go for it, Hutch."

Hutch grinned back and grabbed his jacket and keys. He tossed one last look at his partner before letting himself out of the apartment to follow up the first solid lead he had in the case.

Within half an hour, he was sequestered in the film library at the television station along with the film librarian, Jeannie Moore. Jeannie was sorting through a stack of cassette tapes looking at the notations written on the side. Holding one up, she said, "I think this is the one you're looking for."

"I hope so. How soon do they erase them?" Hutch asked

"Some within a day of the newscast." Jeannie walked over to a cassette player and popped in the video. A picture immediately appeared on an overhead monitor. It was the same newscast that Hutch had seen earlier at his apartment. Jeannie fast forwarded the cassette so that the characters jumped around like hyperactive keystone cops.

Hutch was watching the images on the screen avidly. He saw the two men he had noticed earlier in the crowd. "Can you slow this down or stop it?"

"Sure." Jeannie said as she did as Hutch requested. "Just tell me what you need."

"There. Stop it right there." Hutch said

The film slowed down until the two men became clearly visible then someone else in the crowd stepped in front of them.

"Can you run that back to where the two men in the background are clear?" Hutch asked his attention still focused on the screen.

"Sure."

Jeannie rewound the tape and then inched it forward until there was a clear picture of the two men in the crowd.

"Is there anyway we can blow that up?"

Jeannie pushed a button on the player and the machine zoomed in on the faces of the two men.

"Great." Hutch said with a satisfied smile. "Can I get a copy of that picture?"

Jeannie nodded and left the room. As he waited for her to return Hutch read the byline that accompanied the cassette.

"Commissioner Wilson….Broker Randolph Miller and guests...gathered today to dedicate…twenty million dollar facility…" Hutch skimmed the rest of the paper and set it down just as Jeannie returned to the room. Smiling at Hutch, she said,

"One of our staff photographers will take a picture from the monitor for you. It should be ready in about an hour or so. Do you want to wait or come back?"

"I'll be back." Hutch said. He leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek making her blush in embarrassment at his impulsive gesture. He was cute but she was married. She barely noticed as Hutch left the room leaving her to her own thoughts and fantasies.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Hutch flipped through the stack of photos that Jeannie handed him. The quality was good, the images clear and distinct.

"This is great. I couldn't have asked for better." Hutch examined one photograph intently. "Yes, these are the two we're looking for. May I use your phone?"

"Of course. Help yourself." Jeannie said motioning to a phone sitting on an adjoining desk.

Hutch sat down on the edge of the desk and picked up the receiver, dialing out.

"Captain Dobey, please. This is Hutchinson." He said when the receptionist at headquarters answered with a polite hello. There was a moment of silence as the call was transferred and then Dobey's gruff voice came over the line.

"Yeah, Hutch?"

"I'm at the TV station. I got a good picture of two of our suspects. I'll drop 'em off for a make. Think I'll visit some county officials in the morning and see what I can turn up."

"Good work. Leave the pictures with photocopy." Dobey told him in a pleased tone. "I'm going home. I'll see you in the morning."

"Right." Hutch said as he hung up. Thanking Jeannie again for her help, he left the TV station and headed for home.

Arriving at his apartment, he unlocked the door opening it quietly and slipped inside. It was late and he didn't want to disturb Starsky if the brunet was resting. He smiled to himself when he saw Starsky curled up on the sofa, sound asleep, with the television still on. Hutch gently pulled an afghan over his sleeping partner, turned off the TV and then disappeared into his own bedroom.

Sometime later, the ringing of the telephone started both men awake. Instinctively, Hutch leapt out of bed groping for the phone. Starsky sat up momentarily disoriented, forgetting where he was. He caught himself just before he tumbled off the sofa.

"Huh…what's going on?" Starsky mumbled as he struggled to wake up.

Hutch managed to grab the phone. "Ummm…h'llo? Who is this?" he said in a voice that was still groggy with sleep.

"Hutch? Dobey here. Get your tail down to the Ming Lion. There's been some kind of explosion. I'll meet you there." Dobey's familiar voice growled in his ear.

"Huh? Uh…yeah, right…I'll be right there." Hutch said as he became more alert. Years of experience had conditioned him to function with just a few hours of sleep when need be. A cop, especially a homicide detective, is never really off duty. He hung up the phone and yawned widely as he pulled his scrambled wits together.

"What's up?" Starsky asked from his perch on the sofa.

"Some kind of accident." Hutch said "Dobey wants me there now." He glanced at the bedside clock. It was shortly after three A.M. "What a lousy time to hafta go out on the streets." He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair as he stifled another yawn.

"An accident?" Starsky said persistently "What kind of accident? Where?"

"How the hell should I know? Get a call at an ungodly time of the morning…irate Captain on one end…now sleeping beauty wants to play twenty questions. Sheesh…" Hutch grumbled as he pulled on his clothing.

"And you tell me that I'm grumpy in the mornings." Starsky complained as he laid back down and pulled the cover over his head.

"This isn't really morning." Hutch insisted as he gathered up his jacket, his gun and his keys. "It's still night."

"If it's past midnight…its morning." Starsky said as he peeked out from beneath the blanket.

"It's three-thirty. It's still dark out there and I'm going out into it. Okay?" Hutch grumbled irritably.

"Have FUN, buddy." Starsky said with a yawn as he pulled the cover back over his head. Since he couldn't go along with his partner going back to sleep seemed to be the most logical thing to do.

Hutch gave Starsky a look that could have killed if Starsky had been able to see him. He left the apartment, slamming the door behind him as he headed out into the night.

****

The scene at the Ming Lion was one of controlled chaos and confusion. Soaking wet timbers lay on the ground at the front of the building, smoke rising from the rubble. To Hutch's trained eyes it looked as if the front of the restaurant had collapsed leaving the rear of the building intact. The fire department was finishing its job while uniformed police officers were keeping back the gawkers who had gathered at the scene. It never seemed to matter how early or late it was there always seemed to be people who were automatically drawn to a crime scene, onlookers who got in the way of the professionals who were trying to do their jobs.

Hutch found Dobey poking around in the rubble left by the explosion.

"What happened, Cap?" he asked as he joined the burly black man.

"The fire department thinks it was a bomb. All the damage is centered at the front door. No gas leaks or anything by the kitchen." Dobey told him glumly.

"The Chans?"

"The woman was killed in the blast. They found her body by the front door. No sign of the husband."

"Damn! No idea who might have done it?"

"None. No witnesses…nothing."

"Anything come in on those photos I dropped off?"

"No, maybe later this morning." Dobey looked at the blond half of his best team of men and growled, "We're going to have to get something on this. It's not little league anymore."

"Yeah, Cap. I read ya." Hutch said as the two men continued their preliminary investigation of the scene.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

That afternoon Hutch went to the downtown courthouse to check on the records for the land sales in the neighborhood where the Changs had their restaurant. Hutch was standing at the counter waiting for service. A man came out of a back room, his arms loaded with files. He looked as if he had been working in the office since the building opened. He was stooped over with gray hair and thick glasses.

"I need the names of the people involved in the sales, land use and when it was obtained." Hutch told him. He had already informed the clerk about the information he was seeking.

"I suppose that would be this one." The clerk said as he thumbed through the files. He pulled one out of the stack and handed it to Hutch.

"Any chance I could take this with me?" Hutch asked even though he was already fairly sure of the answer.

The clerk looked at Hutch as if he had lost his mind. In a prim voice, he said,

"No, sir. Our files do not leave this office. I can make Xerox copies for you but no file leaves this office. In the twenty-five years I have been here we have never lost a file."

Hutch began leafing through the file. "Uh…I'll take this one…and this…and this…" he glanced at the clerk with an arched brow. "Do you want me to mark them or something?"

The clerk sighed and handed Hutch a pad and a pen. "Write down the page number and how many copies you want and then we can do business."

Hutch started scribbling down numbers while the clerk watched him with increasing uneasiness. "Please remember, sir, that there are other people waiting their turn for service…"

Hutch looked and noticed the line of people standing behind him. He scribbled down a few more numbers and handed the paper to the clerk.

"That should do it." Hutch said

"I should hope so." The clerk said in an annoyed voice as he grabbed the paper and disappeared into another room. Hutch turned to smile placatingly at the line of people behind him as he waited. All he saw was undisguised hostility on the other faces. Scowling, he turned back around.

The clerk finally returned with a stack of papers and handed them across the counter to Hutch. "Here you are, sir. That will be $9.75"

"What?" Hutch said in a startled voice.

"You think we just give these away? How are we supposed to keep our county on a budget if we gave copies away to people like you? Really, sir!"

Exasperated Hutch began digging through his pockets. He started pulling out change, lots of it. It took him several minutes to get it all counted out while the clerk watched with an eagle eye.

"I want a receipt." Hutch said when he finished. The clerk smiled thinly as he wrote one out and handed it to Hutch, who snatched it and put it in his pocket. He took the copies and left the office, glad to be out of there.

Hutch climbed into his car and sat there glancing through the papers. The dispatcher's voice came over the radio breaking into his train of thought.

"Zebra three…zebra three. Come in please."

"Yeah, go ahead." Hutch said into the mike as he continued glancing through the papers in his lap.

"Hold for Captain Dobey."

"Hutch?" Dobey's voice came over the radio. "We got a make on those two hoods. Joe Vicco and Tomaso Santez. They both have records a mile long. Last known contacts include a Sam Kaufman. Didn't you nail him on an extortion charge a couple of years back?"

"Yeah, but he got off." Hutch said into the mike as he sat the papers beside him for safe keeping. "That's interesting, Cap. I just got a bunch of papers on the land deal and Kaufman's name is on most of them. He was a guest of the main broker. Give me that address."

"9123 Towelridge Drive.'

"Thanks, Cap." Hutch said. He hung up the mike and started the car expertly merging with the rest of the downtown traffic.

****

Back at Hutch's apartment, Starsky was leaning over trying to tie his shoelaces when the phone rang. He reached for it and picked it up.

"Detective Hutchinson?" said Lee Chang's voice in his ear.

"He's not here right now. This is Detective Starsky. Can I help?"

"This is Lee Chang, Detective Starsky. There's nothing left…they can't hurt me anymore. She's dead. My wife is dead. They blew her up."

"They?" Starsky said coming to attention. "Who? Who, Mr. Chang? What happened?"

"They blew up the Ming Lion this morning. I wouldn't go along with their 'offer'. They killed my Mei. They could kill me now…it wouldn't matter."

"What offer? What men? I don't understand." Starsky said calm but confused.

"Oh yes, Detective Starsky. I'm sorry. I was never able to thank you for helping me before.'

The sudden shift of subject bothered Starsky.

"Hey, that's okay…but what's this about Mei?"

"Detective Starsky…can I tell you?"

"I'm at Hutch's place. You'll have to come here because I can't get around right now. Okay?"

"Yes. It may take awhile but I will be there." Chan promised

"Fine. I'll see you then." Starsky said. He hung up the phone and sat back to think about what Mr Chang had just told him.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Across town from his apartment, Hutch entered the office of Randy Miller. The receptionist glanced up with a frosty smile.

"May I help you?"

"I need to talk to Mr. Miller." Hutch said with his most enticing smile.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, I don't have an appointment but I have to see him."

"He's a very busy man. I think he has some appointments available next week."

"This is official business, lady." Hutch told her flashing his badge at her. "Now get me in there to see him."

Startled, the receptionist complied. Picking up the phone, she hit a button and said into the receiver,

"Mr. Miller? There's a Detective Hutchinson here who says that it's important that he see you right away." She paused "No, sir. He doesn't have an appointment." She listened for a moment and then said to Hutch, "If you'll have a seat he'll be right out."

Hutch took a seat and flipped through a magazine disinterestedly. He glanced up when he heard the inner office door open. Miller came out of his office. His shoulders were stooped and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days. He was perspiring heavily in spite of the heavy air conditioning.

"I'm sorry for the hassle, Detective Murchinson." Miller said with a plastic smile

"Hutchinson." Hutch corrected him in a resigned voice.

"I'm sorry. We're in the middle of big deal and things are a bit crazy around here. Discouraging uninvited visitors. Why don't we step into my office?"

Hutch followed the other man into his cluttered office. He sat in front of Miller's desk while the other man took the chair on the opposite side.

"How can I help you, Detective?"

"I'm investing several cases of assault, threats and as of this morning a bombing and a fire." Hutch told him

"And you think that I'm involved?" Miller said with another plastic smile.

"It seems that all of this is going on in an area that your company is handling for the government…the site for the potential new medical center."

"Oh?" Miller said in a startled voice. "Well, it's a rough neighborhood down there. That was the rationale for behind choosing that for the proposed site for the medical center. Give them some civic pride in themselves and in their neighborhood. You know what I mean?"

"I think so." Hutch said wryly.

"You say all these problems are in that area? I though everyone had left?"

"There are still a few holdouts and someone has been leaning on them pretty hard. There was a bombing this morning. A woman was killed and her husband is missing."

Hutch watch Miller's reactions carefully. The man paled noticeably. This was apparently news to him.

"That's too bad." Miller said cautiously "But, I'm afraid I don't understand what any of this has to do with me."

"They were threatened into selling…if they wanted to or not." Hutch said. He paused to let his words sink in. "I want to know how you acquired that land."

"I…uh…hired a sub-agent to go around and feel the owners out about selling." Miller said nervously. "I delegated authority to him. He got it. I didn't ask how he did it. I haven't heard of any trouble until now."

"My partner and I interrupted one of the assaults and my partner was badly injured as a result." Hutch said grimly. "Supposing you're telling the truth and you don't know what's going on…let's talk to your sub-agent and see what he has to say."

"Of course. I'll have my secretary get you the address."

Hutch reached out and grabbed Miller's hand as he reached for the phone. In a cold voice, he said, "We BOTH know who it is. Sam Kaufman, right?"

"Uh…yes…" Miller admitted in a guilty voice as he eyed Hutch nervously.

"I don't know how much your covering, Miller, but I intend to find out." Hutch said as he gracefully rose to his feet. He smiled but the gesture never reached his eyes. "I'd advise you to call your attorney."

On that note, Hutch turned and left the office leaving a shaking Miller behind.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Back at Hutch's apartment a soft knock on the door demanded Starsky's attention. After a pause, he walked over to the door and said cautiously "Who's there?"

"Lee Chang."

Starsky slipped the chain off the door and opened it. Mr. Chang stepped inside and Starsky closed and locked the door behind him. "Have a seat." Starsky said.

Mr. Chang walked over to the sofa and slumped down, drained and exhausted, physically and emotionally. Starsky carefully made his way over to the sofa and sat down beside the distraught oriental.

"Now, what were you trying to tell me earlier?" Starsky asked in a quiet, soothing voice.

"Early this morning…the men came back. They left a bomb. Mei must have heard them…she was downstairs when it exploded." Although his voice was carefully controlled, Starsky could hear the emotions behind his words.

"So that's why Hutch went out. Didn't you talk to the police?"

"No…I left…after I found her…after she died." Chang admitted "I've been walking…thinking. I should have told you the first time. Look at the damage my silence has caused…my Mei is dead…the restaurant gone…your injuries…" He took a deep shuddering breath to compose himself. "About eight months ago…men came to buy our land. They offered us good money. Many sold. Others waited. I didn't want to leave the restaurant. My parents had built it…many memories there. I saw no problem…"

"But those guys didn't see it that way." Starsky finished for him.

"Yes. They came back to change my mind. They got nasty. Things arrived broken, shipments got lost, customers got harassed. They sent men to beat me up and you got involved." He struggled for a moment with his emotions. "I only meant to ask you about the legalities of their actions. Now, they've destroyed everything."

"We can get them now." Starsky told him. "I'll need your help. Can we get others who will verify what you told me?"

"I think so."

"Good. Can you drive? We can take my car."

"Yes."

Starsky was startled by another knock on the door. In a quiet voice he said to Chang, "Are you expecting anyone?" When Chang shook his head, Starsky motioned him into the sleeping alcove where he would be hidden from view.

"Who's there?" Starsky asked as he crossed to the door.

"Starsky? It's me…Julie. Can I come in?"

Starsky undid the chain and opened the door to admit her.

"Hi, stranger." He said in a pleased voice "Had me going there for a minute. Thought you might be one of the bad guys. Just had a witness show up."

"Oh, yeah…me a bad guy." Julie said with a nervous laugh. She was glad that Starsky couldn't see the expression on her face. "Who's the witness?"

"Lee Chang. He's the owner of that restaurant I told you about…you know, where I got this…" Starsky said with a light tap to his head.

"What seems like a bit of luck." Julie said hoping he wouldn't hear the tension in her voice.

"His place was bombed this morning and his wife was killed. He was calling Hutch and got me instead." Starsky explained. He smiled widely. "You're right. I can still function…be of use. We're gonna chase down the facts…find the guy behind this."

"That's good news, Dave. But don't you think you should tell Hutch about this and let him do the chasing?"

"No. I wanna get a handle on this and surprise him."

"Oh…I'm sure it will…and not only him."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Just thinking out loud. I'll see you later…Okay?" Suddenly, she was anxious to leave. She needed to relay this information to Kaufman as quickly as possible.

"Sure." Starsky said as he walked her to the door. She left, the scent of her perfume lingering in the air. If he had been functioning up to par he would have picked up on her nervousness and tension but in his present condition, his game was a bit off. He had no reason to suspect Julie of being anything more than his physical therapist.

****

At a construction site across town Hutch made his way past the piles of boards, chuck holes and heavy equipment to a parked trailer with a sign out front identifying it as the office. Reaching the closed door, he knocked loudly. When there was no immediate answer, he knocked again. Louder.

"Just a minute." A filtered voice called from behind the closed door. The door opened and Kaufman stood in the doorway. He scowled when he saw Hutch standing there.

"Can I help you?" he said in a tight voice. Hutch started up the steps but Kaufman immediate stepped in front of him, stopping him from entering the trailer without permission. "Whoa…hold on a minute. Who are you and what do you want?"

Hutch pushed his way past the other man and into the trailer with a smirk. "Don't give me that, Sam." He said sarcastically. "Your memory must be awfully bad if you don't remember me."

Kaufman's mouth tightened into a hard thin line as he followed Hutch into the trailer. Hutch turned to face him with a thin smile. "I've been to see a few people this morning, Sam. It seems like there's a lot of interest in this little government project of yours."

"Well, you know how it is…anything to do with the government these days gets scrutinized. Why are you so interested? I'm clean, Hutchinson, so this better be good."

"Just investigating a few problems with this project." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of Joey and Tomaso. "These turkeys look familiar?"

"Uhhh…they did some work for me a few months ago. Bodyguards." Kaufman said as he studied the picture thoughtfully. "That's all."

"If you're so clean then why do you need bodyguards?"

"I don't have to answer any more of your questions without a damn good reason, Hutchinson." Kaufman said belligerently. The phone on the desk rang shrilly. Grabbing the receiver, he snapped, "Yeah?"

"I've got to talk to you." Julie's voice said in Kaufman's ear.

"I'm sorry but that can't be arranged at the moment."

"It's important. It's about Starsky." Julie insisted

"I understand. But, I'm afraid I can't help you right now. Perhaps you'd like to call back in a little while and I'll see if I can find that information for you."

"Oh, okay…I gotcha." Julie said finally catching on. "I'll stop by in a couple of hours."

"That would be fine. I'll be expecting you."

Kaufman hung up and looked at Hutch disdainfully.

"I'm busy, Hutchinson. If you have no further business here you can leave."

"About these two goons…"

"If I see them around, I'll call you. Now is there anything else I can do for you?" Kaufman said in an irritated voice.

"Not at the moment." Hutch said calmly. "I'll let you know if anything turns up."

"You do that, officer." Kaufman said coldly as he turned his attention to some paperwork on his desk, dismissing Hutch.

Hutch let himself out of the office and climbed into his car. He knew Kaufman was heavily involved in whatever was going on but he didn't have enough to prove it. Not yet.

He drove back to his apartment to check on his partner. He was disturbed when he pulled up in front of the building and noticed that the Tornio was no where in sight. Climbing out of the car, he bounded up the steps to his apartment.

There was a note hanging on the front door. Silently he read the somewhat smeared scrawl:

"Hutch,

Have some new info on the Chang case. Checking it out. Don't worry. Starsk"

"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Hutch muttered under his breath as he unlocked the door and let himself into the apartment. Crossing to the phone, he thought for a moment and then picked up the phone and dialed Julie's number.

"Hello?" she said after a couple of rings.

"Julie, it's Hutch. Have you heard anything from Starsky? He left a note saying he was checking out some info on a case."

"I dropped by this morning." Julie said evasively. "Someone was there with him but I don't know who or why. I'm sorry."

"Damn stupid thing for him to do. Look, if you hear from him could you let me know?"

"Sure. I hope you find him."

"I will. He'll turn up eventually. It was just a stupid thing for him to do in his condition." Hutch said "I have to go. I need to make some more calls and see if I can find out who he left with."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." Hutch said. Hanging up the phone, he began running down a mental checklist of people who might be with Starsky. Huggy seemed to be the logical first choice. He picked up the receiver to make another call.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

Back at the trailer that served as an office at the construction site, Kaufman was sitting at his desk sorting through some papers. Joey and Fugi stood in front of the desk waiting patiently. Kaufman handed a stack of papers to Joey and said,

"Take these down and get them filed. These are the last of them except for the restaurant."

"You got a check for this?" Joey asked as he pocketed the papers.

Kaufman nodded and handed him a check. "Make sure and get a receipt." He ordered

As Joey and Fuji left the office a visibly upset Julie came in.

"What's so important that it couldn't wait?" Kaufman growled at her. "Hutchinson was here when you called."

"I went to see Starsky." Julie told him "Guess who was there?"

"I don't have time for games."

"Chan."

Kaufman was obviously disturbed by her news. "How bad?" he demanded

"Bad enough. They'll probably have this whole thing tied up by this afternoon."

"Damn! I suppose he told Hutchinson everything."

"No. He decided to go out on his own and then tell Hutch. You can still stop him if you hurry."

"I'll get the boys to tail them and take out Starsky…Chan too."

"Don't count on it. Starsky's not going to let anybody near him and Chan knows the boys." Julie told him

"What about you, doll?" Kaufman said with a leer. "Starsky doesn't have any problem with letting you get close."

"No, I've done enough. I want out!"

"You're into this as deep as the rest of us are now. You take care of this little problem and I'll take care of Texas. Then I'll give you a plane ticket to any place you want to go and enough money to start over."

"How do I know that I can trust you?"

"You don't have any choice. How about it? Is it a deal?"

"I need a gun." Julie said in a defeated tone

Kaufman smiled as he pulled open a drawer and handed her a small revolver.

"Will this do?" he asked with a smug smile.

Julie took the gun and sighed softly. She wished there was some other way out of the mess she had gotten herself into but she knew there wasn't. She steeled herself for what she had to do and hurried left the office.

****

Across town the Torino was parked at the curb with Starsky sitting inside. Chan was standing on the sidewalk a few feet away talking to a small group of men. Pieces of their conversation drifted back to Starsky.

"…up to you," Chan was saying "We can beat these men but you can not be afraid to do it."

"If we give information and then nothing is done, what will happen to us?" one of the men questioned nervously.

"The police will protect us." Chan told him "Detective Starsky has promised me."

"Look at him," one of the other men said with a sneer "He's blind. He can't even protect himself. It's too much to ask…too much." The man muttered as he turned and walked away.

"What about you, Gustov?" Chan asked one of the remaining men sharply. "Is it too much for you too?"

"I sold my property. I'm out of it. But if it helps…I do remember a name. Kaufman. It was on the papers I signed."

"Thank you, Gustov. It will help." Chan said. He turned and walked back to the Torino as his friends discreetly left. Pausing beside Starsky's open window, he said, "Good news I believe."

"Yeah?'

"Gustov gave me a name from the papers he signed. Is that of use?"

"It should be if we can tie it to the goons who beat you up." Starsky told him

"I know a couple who can help." Chan said. He walked around to the driver's side of the car and slid under the wheel. The engine roared to live and he drove away.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

In another part of town, Hutch was at the Hall of Records. Finding the sign for the County Recorder's office, he went inside. There was a long line of people waiting at the counter. As he surveyed the line, Hutch saw Joey and then Fuji standing at the window.

"POLICE! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Hutch called out as he drew his gun and waved at the other people in line to get down. He didn't need to tell them twice as the other people quickly sought cover.

Joey and Fuji started and then instinctively tried to escape. Joey pushed people roughly out of his way as he darted for the door. Fuji was slower and Hutch caught up with him, bringing him down with a hard tackle. Hutch held on determined not to lose him this time. The disturbance had caught the attention of the buildings security guards who came running into to assist. With their help, Hutch soon had Fuji subdued and cuffed. He hauled Fuji to his feet and escorted him out of the building.

Twenty minutes later, Hutch and Fuji were in one of the interrogation rooms at headquarters. Captain Dobey stood in one corner of the room watching as Hutch paced the room, firing questions at Fuji rapidly.

"We have you on the assault on Detective Starsky and myself." Hutch told Fuji "So make it easier on yourself and help us."

"It's no use, Hutch." Dobey said "We might as well lock him up."

"I…uh…that thing with the other cop…it was an accident." Fuji stammered "He scared me. I just wanted him to stop chasing me. I hit him to make him stop…l didn't wanna hurt him."

"Yeah, but who's going to believe that?" Hutch said taking advantage of the crack in Fuji's defenses. "He was blinded by that attack. The jury is going to be on his side. Did you set the bomb that blew up the Chan restaurant and killed Mei Chan?"

Fuji glanced between the two police officers, his eyes darting nervously between the two men.

"Oh, no! I never had nothing to do with that." Fuji said adamantly. "Mr. Kaufman told me to stay out of sight and I did too. Mr Miller came by to see Mr. K once and I was there." He looked at Hutch beseechingly "I wouldn't hurt nobody. You believe me, don't you?"

Hutch and Dobey exchanged a knowing glance. Without realizing it, Fuji had just told them everything.

"I guess so." Hutch said with a hint of compassion in his voice for the huge man who obviously had the mind of a child. "I can see why Kaufman didn't want you on the loose."

"Uh…if you're gonna see Mr. K don't tell him I'm in this place. Okay? He'd be awful upset and mad at me."

Hutch smiled gently and said kindly, "After today he won't ever be able to hurt you again."


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

Kaufman looked up from his desk as Joey burst into the trailer.

"We got trouble." Joey said in a breathless voice. "We ran into Hutchinson at the recorder's office and he grabbed Fuji."

Kaufman thought for a moment and then grabbed a briefcase that was lying on an nearby cabinet. Kneeling on the floor beside the safe, he opened the door and began stuffing the briefcase full of papers and bundles of money.

"Get my car and bring it out front." He ordered Joey "I'll be out in a minute."

Joey nodded and hurried to do his bidding. Kaufman continued filling the briefcase until it couldn't hold anymore. Struggling to shut it, he hurried to leave the trailer. Just as he exited the office, Hutch's car came screaming into the lot bouncing over the rough terrain.

As Hutch climbed out of his car and ran towards the trailer with his gun drawn, Joey came careening around the corner of the trailer in Kaufman's car. When he saw Hutch he tried to make a run for it, more concerned with his own skin than his boss. He didn't get far. Hutch jumped in front of the car and pointed his cannon at the windshield. Joey skidded to a fishtailing halt.

Hutch ran over to the side of the car and pulled open the door. Reaching inside, he grabbed Joey's arm and jerked him out. Throwing him against the side of the car, Hutch cuffed one wrist to the door handle to make sure Joey didn't try to go anywhere while Hutch took care of Kaufman.

Kaufman attempted to take advantage of Hutch's momentarily distraction with Joey to escape. He didn't get very far. As he turned to run, he heard Hutch's commanding voice growl, "Hold it right there, Sam. You're not going anywhere except to jail."

Kaufman froze in his tracks. Hutch grabbed his arm and escorted him none to gently back to the car where Joey stood watching them warily.

"What the hell is this all about?" Kaufman demanded still trying to bluff his way through this mess.

"Two guesses and the first one doesn't count," Hutch said gruffly "Spread 'em!"

As the blond detective began to frisk his prisoner, Kaufman smirked. He had one more card up his sleeve.

"You think you're pretty smart, don't you, Hutchinson?" he sneered "Where's your partner right now?" Kaufman laughed when his statement stopped Hutch in mid-action. "I sent a friend over there to finish the job right this time."

"Starsky's not that stupid." Hutch snarled "He's not going to let one of your creeps anywhere near him."

"No," Kaufman admitted in a silky smooth voice. "But he trusts Julie, doesn't he? He'll let her in. No questions asked…"

"Julie?" Hutch repeated as he spun Kaufman around so the two men were face to face. Hutch's eyes blazed with anger, "What are you talking about?" He flared.

"She works for me and she's on her way there to blow Starsky away…and he'll never see it coming…until it's too late." Kaufman laughed as his own play on words about Starsky never seeing it coming.

As mush as Hutch would have like to beat the other man to a pulp he knew that wouldn't solve anything. Working quickly, he unlocked one end of the cuffs from the door handle and threaded the chain underneath the bar so he could cuff both men together. Satisfied that his two prisoners weren't going anywhere, Hutch ran back over to his car.

Climbing beneath the wheel, he grabbed the mike with one hand while he steered the car out of the lot with his free hand. "Zebra three requesting assistance. Any available unit in the vicinity of 5193 TrowBridge. Two suspects at that location. Need an immediate pickup."

"Ten-four, Zebra three. Adam 14 is responding. ETA five minutes."

Hutch tore out of the lot and raced back towards his own apartment.

****

Starsky was reaching for the phone to call Hutch when he heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" He called out in a suspicious tone.

"It's Julie, Dave. Can I come in?"

Starsky walked over to the door and unlatched it to let her in. Julie stepped inside and closed the door behind her, quietly turning the latch to lock it without Starsky's knowledge.

"Gee, with all these visits I'm going to get a swelled head." Starsky said with a crooked smile.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Dave but something came up." Julie said as she pulled the gun from her bag and pointed at the handsome brunet.

"Believe me it's no bother." Starsky said in a friendly voice.

"I'm sorry, Dave…I really am. I really liked you…" Julie said

"And now you don't?" Starsky said in a puzzled voice as he tried to figure out her sudden change in attitude.

"It could have been different but I have my priorities and you have yours. Unfortunately, they don't mesh."

Sensing that something wasn't right, Starsky took a step towards her voice but she moved away before he could get too close.

"Hey, lady…" Starsky said in a confused voice. "If I've done something to upset you just tell…maybe we can work it out."

"You're a cop," Julie said with a brittle laugh. "You still don't get it, do you?"

Starsky knew from the sound of her voice that she was moving around the room trying to disorient him. That was okay. He had played this game before. "No," he said "Why don't you spell it out for me?"

"I work for Kaufman and you're getting in the way. Is that clear enough for you?"

"Oh, shit…" Starsky muttered as everything suddenly became clear to him.

"I was assigned to keep an eye on you…to make sure you didn't get too close to the operation."

"So that's all I was to you…a job…nothing more." Starsky said in a decidedly unfriendly tone. He knew he was in trouble and decided to try and grab her but she anticipated that and began shoving furniture in his way to keep him off balance and disoriented.

"Yeah, that's all you were…" she said flatly as she shoved the coffee table in his way causing the brunet to swear when he hit his shins on the sharp edges. "You better watch out…there are obstacles in your way. What you'd give to be able to see right now…and you thought you'd still be able to play cop. I've got a gun on you, Dave. Do you really think you can dodge a bullet in your condition?"

Starsky tripped over a footstool and fell to the floor, face first. He is rapidly becoming disoriented, losing his sense of his surroundings. He stumbled to his feet, stopping and standing completely still when he hears Julie cock the gun.

"Okay, you wanna play? I'll play. Why am I on your list?"

"Because you learned too much. Why couldn't you just stay BLIND." Julie said as if she were talking to a child. "At least you would have stayed alive. A couple of more days…that's all…just a couple of more days."

She fired a shot that whizzed past his head. Starsky instinctively ducked. In doing so, he tripped again and fell to his knees. This time he stayed down.

"I couldn't leave it alone. You know that. Like you said…I'm a cop." Starsky said "If you're going to kill me than why don't you just get it over with. I can't stop you. But I have the right to know one thing. Why you?"

Julie had silently moved around behind him. Starsky started when he felt the cold muzzle of the gun pressing against the back of his neck.

"Because you TRUST me." She hissed in a cold, unfeeling voice.

Without warning, Starsky threw himself backwards against her knees, knocking her off balance. She fell to the floor and Starsky made a grab for the gun. He managed to grab her wrists but she was strong and was fighting back with all she had.

Suddenly, the gun went off and they both collapsed just as Hutch kicked open the door and bolted into the room.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

Hutch took a hesitant step towards the two bodies on the floor afraid of what he would find.

"Starsky, are you okay? Julie?"

Starsky slowly rolled over and leaned up on his elbows trying to catch his breath. The bullet had hit Julie in the shoulder.

"It should have been different, Dave…" she whispered in a quiet, pain filled voice. Her eyes closed as she passed out.

Hutch slammed his gun into his holster and began checking Starsky out for any unseen injuries.

"You okay, Buddy?"

"Depends…" Starsky said still dazed. He accepted Hutch's hand up and let him lead him over to settle on the couch. "How is she?"

"She'll live. The bullet winged her shoulder." Hutch said. He jumped as the phone on the other end table rang. Grabbing up the receiver, he barked. "Yeah?" He listened for a moment and then handed the phone to Starsky. "It's for you."

"Hello?" Starsky muttered

"Mr. Starsky? It's Doctor Neal. I wanted to let you know that we found a surgeon who is willing to do the operation. If you can check into the hospital this evening then we can schedule it for tomorrow morning."

"That's great, Doc." Starsky said in a flat monotone "Thanks for calling. I'll be there. Goodbye" He handed the phone back to Hutch who put it back in the cradle.

"Well?" Hutch asked as he looked at his partner intently.

"That was the hospital. They can do the surgery tomorrow morning. They want me there tonight." Starsky said in the same tired, flat monotone.

"Hey, that's great news." Hutch said gently. He put a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder. He knew that after the situation that had just happened with Julie, Starsky had other things on his mind.

He looked up at his partner with a wistful expression on his face. "Yeah, I guess so." He said "But whey did it have to turn out this way, Hutch? Tell me, Hutch…why?"

Hutch knew he had no answer for that all he could was be there to offer Starsky as much support and encouragement as he could. That's what partners, and more importantly, best friends were for.

**TAG**

Starsky and Hutch were sitting on the low pillows placed strategically on the floor while Huggy stood behind them watching the floor show. They were all in a great mood. The surgery had been a success and Starsky had regained his eyesight. He was looking around at everything making up for lost time. He finished his beer and looked at his partner.

"So they're going to let her turn state's evidence and go easy on her?" he asked

"Yeah. The testimony she gave was worth it. She still has to work out the manslaughter charge back in Texas but she's gonna be okay. She's gonna make it." Hutch told him.

"That's good." Starsky said.

Hutch could see that his partner was starting to get down. With a smile, he motioned at Mira, the attractive belly dancer.

"You have got to watch this girl dance, Starsk. You know what they say…it's all in the hands. They tell the whole story."

"That's right," Huggy jumped in with a huge smile on his face. "It's a very old dance…lots of rituals and culture…"

Starsky laughed and turned his full attention to Mira. She smiled as she moved closer to Starsky, undulating her hips and teasing him. She whirled around him and wrapped her veil around his head.

"Huggy, this has to be the best deal you ever got into." Starsky said in a delighted voice.

Mira grabbed Starsky's hand and pulled him to his feet, tugging him towards the stage with her. Everyone was clapping and cheering her on. Starsky grinned as he danced along with her, turning himself over to the rhythm of the music. Mira unbuttoned his shirt and positioned him on the stage as she began to do a private "Sultan's" dance just for him.

Hutch smiled as Mira did a back hand spring that landed her in Starsky's lap. The brunet's face split into an ear to ear grin that lit up the room as he wrapped his arms around the petite beauty and gave her a resounding kiss. The old Starsky was back and just as good as ever.


End file.
